Our Time in Belize was just right - Not too long, and not too short
We are moving along again, just arrived in Mexico. It was really great to spend time with friends and family in Belize, but now they're gone. And so are we.
We caught a bus today to Chetumal, Mexico, right after dropping off our friends Ken and Mary at the airport where they would fly home. Our son TK and his wife Jenny left Belize yesterday to return to Nicaragua where they live.
Our current location is directly across the border from the north end of Belize. You can cover a lot of ground in Belize, since it's not very big. In fact, we covered pretty much the entire country in our time there. And that includes a lot of ocean time, where you can visit the numerous islands.
The weather turned a bit and we got some rain, but that's what makes this place so green. During the last couple days we visited more of the amazing Mayan ruins, in some cases, deep in the jungle.
The jungle in Belize is impressive. In many places, it has reclaimed the Mayan ruins, with trees growing amongst the stone structures. As you make your way into the sites, you pass through intense rain forest and jungle with vegetation competing for sunlight.
Some of the palms and ferns are massive, and the hard wood trees are huge. There are so many kinds of palm trees, it's hard to identify the different species. Some palms have short trunks, with palm leaves (fronds?) shooting out up to 40 feet!
One of the most unusual things we saw while touring around Belize was on the way to a remote Mayan site up a long dirt road. Once we got out away from the major highway, we came across a community of Mennonites. They were in full garb, with wide brim hats, riding in horse and buggy carts.
It was rather fascinating. They had large farms and nice houses, with no electricty, and all dressed in 1890's style clothing. It went on for quite some time, and Ken said "there must be twenty miles of Mennonites!"
One interesting incident occured when I stopped for directions. We came up to a barn with a small store window, and I got out of the car. In front was a horse carriage with three traditionally dressed kids sitting there. I walked up to the store front, and there was a Mennonite woman standing there awaiting service, obviously the mother of the kids. She didn't look at me.
There didn't seem to be anyone in the store, so after a minute I turned to the woman. "excuse me," I started to ask her directions. She suddenly jumped back, shocked that I would speak to her.
I'm not real clear on Mennonite etiquette, but I had apparently breached protocol by speaking to her. She didn't answer me at first. I repeated my question gently, and she muttered something softly and waved in the general direction of our destination. It was a strange interaction.
I hope I didn't stain her reputation by talking to her. There's no doubt that I'm not a Mennonite. Anyway, we made our way to the ruins and enjoyed the visit. Then we drove back through the twenty miles of Mennonites.
They are camera shy. The only picture I was able to get was in a bus station, elsewhere from the "colony".
They are also pretty steep. For the most part you can hike around and walk around wherever you like, but you better watch your step. Many of the stairs are very steep and uneven. And there are no handrails or barriers to keep you from falling. And the structures are pretty high up.
It's definitely one of the attractions of Belize. The Mayan civilization was centered in this area, along with the surrounding countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico.
One of the really cool views was the large face carved into the rock at Lamanai. Curiously, it is not unlike the carvings in Angkor Wat in Cambodia, on the other side of the world.
The jungle in Belize is impressive. In many places, it has reclaimed the Mayan ruins, with trees growing amongst the stone structures. As you make your way into the sites, you pass through intense rain forest and jungle with vegetation competing for sunlight.
Some of the palms and ferns are massive, and the hard wood trees are huge. There are so many kinds of palm trees, it's hard to identify the different species. Some palms have short trunks, with palm leaves (fronds?) shooting out up to 40 feet!
Didn't expect to see these guys out here
One of the most unusual things we saw while touring around Belize was on the way to a remote Mayan site up a long dirt road. Once we got out away from the major highway, we came across a community of Mennonites. They were in full garb, with wide brim hats, riding in horse and buggy carts.
It was rather fascinating. They had large farms and nice houses, with no electricty, and all dressed in 1890's style clothing. It went on for quite some time, and Ken said "there must be twenty miles of Mennonites!"
One interesting incident occured when I stopped for directions. We came up to a barn with a small store window, and I got out of the car. In front was a horse carriage with three traditionally dressed kids sitting there. I walked up to the store front, and there was a Mennonite woman standing there awaiting service, obviously the mother of the kids. She didn't look at me.
There didn't seem to be anyone in the store, so after a minute I turned to the woman. "excuse me," I started to ask her directions. She suddenly jumped back, shocked that I would speak to her.
I'm not real clear on Mennonite etiquette, but I had apparently breached protocol by speaking to her. She didn't answer me at first. I repeated my question gently, and she muttered something softly and waved in the general direction of our destination. It was a strange interaction.
I hope I didn't stain her reputation by talking to her. There's no doubt that I'm not a Mennonite. Anyway, we made our way to the ruins and enjoyed the visit. Then we drove back through the twenty miles of Mennonites.
They are camera shy. The only picture I was able to get was in a bus station, elsewhere from the "colony".
The Mayan ruins in Belize are plentiful.
They are also pretty steep. For the most part you can hike around and walk around wherever you like, but you better watch your step. Many of the stairs are very steep and uneven. And there are no handrails or barriers to keep you from falling. And the structures are pretty high up.
It's definitely one of the attractions of Belize. The Mayan civilization was centered in this area, along with the surrounding countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and parts of Mexico.
One of the really cool views was the large face carved into the rock at Lamanai. Curiously, it is not unlike the carvings in Angkor Wat in Cambodia, on the other side of the world.
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